Cultivating Data Science Capacity in Africa: Piloting a Data Lab in Togo

Award Period
to
Award Amount
$23,590
Agency Name
UC Berkeley
Award Number
00012082
PI First Name
Robert
PI Last Name
Heilmayr
MSI People
Area/s of Research
Ecology and Evolution
Abstract

The Center for Effective Global Action (CEGA) is a hub for research, training and innovation that generates insights and tools that decision-makers can use to improve policies, programs, and people’s lives. The Environmental Markets Lab (emLab) based at the University of California, Santa Barbara has collaborated closely with CEGA to use and further develop a tool called MOSAIKS (Multi-Task Observation Using SAtellites and Kitchen Sinks). This tool transforms raw satellite imagery into concise information, predicting a wide range of different outcomes within minutes on a standard laptop. It can analyze numerous variables on a global scale, ranging from soil and water conditions to housing, health, and poverty. Ultimately, MOSAIKS improves the accessibility of satellite data, addressing global challenges and aiding scientists and policymakers in understanding big-picture environmental changes. It is essential that data science training, tools, and infrastructure like MOSAIKS be made available to low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where their potential impact could be most profound. And yet, to date, most applications of imagery for social and environmental monitoring have been developed by research groups and/or the private sector in high-income countries. In this initiative, emLab and CEGA will partner with the Ministry of Digital Economy and Transformation (the Ministry) in Togo (a LMIC) to develop a data science “embedded lab” (Data Lab) that supports the accelerated use of data science tools and approaches for developing, deploying, and evaluating the effectiveness of novel digital public services. With local ownership in mind, the Data Lab will facilitate and support the adoption of MOSAIKS by the Togolese government. The Ministry has already identified several priority use cases for MOSAIKS which have the potential to address real world policy challenges and drive meaningful and sustainable social impact in Togo.